April Blues and Purples

     Several kinds of flowering plants blooming commonly in April in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania have lovely blue or purple blossoms, adding beauty to the habitats they inhabit.  Some are aliens to North America, but others are native here.
     Veronicas are the first of these plants to bloom each year, starting in mid to late March.  Veronicas are aliens from Europe that produce small, light-blue blossoms less than an inch above the ground on short-grass lawns and roadsides.  Carpets of those blooms make parts of many lawns appear blue.
     Grape hyacinths are also aliens from Europe that were introduced to North America by people planting bulbs.  Each plant has a few grass-like leaves and a cluster of small, bluish-purple, grape-like blooms a few inches above the soil by mid-April.  And this species spreads and beautifully covers much of several lawns and fields in this county.  I know a meadow that is intriguing because of a couple of acres of grape-hyacinth plants and flowers each April.
     Ground ivy is a mint originally from Europe that is common on many local lawns.  This ground-hugging, creeping plant grows several small, rounded and scalloped leaves and little, light-purple blossoms.  This species has a strong scent that is noticeable when the leaves are crushed or cut when a lawn is mowed.
     One of my favorite flowers, blue violets are native woodland wildflowers that adapted well to short-grass lawns and are abundant on many of them.  This plant is a well-known associate of dandelions on many lawns in the latter half of April, providing much beauty on those human-made habitats.  Each violet plant grows several heart-shaped leaves and a few blue-purple blossoms.
     Periwinkles are native, vine-like plants that crawl across local woodland floors, flower gardens and lawns.  The five, violet-blue petals of each bloom on this plant resemble pinwheels that almost seem to turn in the wind.
     Virginia bluebells are native woodland wildflowers that stand over two feet tall, have several large, broad leaves and a couple clusters of sky-blue, bell-like flowers.  Those blossoms develop from pink buds, offering a variety of lovely colors on each plant.  Colonies of a quarter-acre or more of this flowering species in full bloom look like they are reflecting a clear sky.
     Wood phlox is another native woodland species that forms patches of itself on beautiful forest floors.  This plant blooms from late in April into the first several days of May.  Each plant produces a few blooms with five, pale-violet petals.                    
     Loose patches of bluets, a kind of spindly, grass-like plant not a foot tall, are easily overlooked in the dry pastures they inhabit.  Each delicately-lovely bluet flower is pale-blue with a yellow center, offering a pleasing contrast of colors. 
     This April, or next, look for these wild plants with blue or purple blossoms during April.  They certainly add more beauty and cheer to the habitats they inhabit.